May 6, 2019

Andrew Yang policy on DECREASE PRE-TRIAL CASH BAIL

In this country, you’re innocent until proven guilty. However, too many Americans are currently in jail before their day in court because they can’t afford to post bail.

This is problematic for many reasons.

First, it costs the country almost $80b per year in incarceration costs and loss of productivity.

Second, it puts pressure on people to take plea agreements even when they may not have committed a crime, as awaiting trial while in jail can impose a longer incarceration period than the plea deal. The unconvicted jail population is two to three times the size of the convicted population.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/cashbail/

May 6, 2019

Andrew Yang policy on DECREASE PRE-TRIAL CASH BAIL

In this country, you’re innocent until proven guilty. However, too many Americans are currently in jail before their day in court because they can’t afford to post bail.

This is problematic for many reasons.

First, it costs the country almost $80b per year in incarceration costs and loss of productivity.

Second, it puts pressure on people to take plea agreements even when they may not have committed a crime, as awaiting trial while in jail can impose a longer incarceration period than the plea deal. The unconvicted jail population is two to three times the size of the convicted population.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/cashbail/

May 6, 2019

Andrew Yang policy on REVIVE THE OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT

Quite frankly, the level of technological understanding by some members of our government is embarrassing. Anyone who watched Congress question Mark Zuckerberg is well aware of this, and it makes it unreasonable to expect proper regulation of major tech companies, or legislation that addresses the large technological issues that we’ll continue to face in areas such as AI and cybersecurity.

It’s also impossible to imagine that Congress can provide full oversight over the executive branch, whose Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is staffed extensively, providing guidance and information on important technological developments to the President and other executive-branch staff.

The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) provided valuable research to our legislative branch until it was phased out in 1995. Free of the bias of private industry or think tanks, the OTA provided neutral information on the latest technological developments to legislators. Many of these reports, despite being a quarter of a century old, show an amazing prescience on topics that are still relevant to this day. This vital institution needs to be revived, with a budget large enough and rules flexible enough to draw top talent away from the very lucrative private sector.

"Cutting the OTA over two decades ago to ‘save money’ was the dumbest decision ever, and it likely cost the American people hundreds of times the budget of the OTA based on less efficient and informed legislation. Having a group of technology experts on hand for Congress to consult with, free of industry influence, is common sense and overdue. Let’s try to get in front of the true challenges of the 21st century and get Congress the information they need to make intelligent decisions."

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/reviveota/

May 6, 2019

Andrew Yang policy on REVIVE THE OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT

Quite frankly, the level of technological understanding by some members of our government is embarrassing. Anyone who watched Congress question Mark Zuckerberg is well aware of this, and it makes it unreasonable to expect proper regulation of major tech companies, or legislation that addresses the large technological issues that we’ll continue to face in areas such as AI and cybersecurity.

It’s also impossible to imagine that Congress can provide full oversight over the executive branch, whose Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is staffed extensively, providing guidance and information on important technological developments to the President and other executive-branch staff.

The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) provided valuable research to our legislative branch until it was phased out in 1995. Free of the bias of private industry or think tanks, the OTA provided neutral information on the latest technological developments to legislators. Many of these reports, despite being a quarter of a century old, show an amazing prescience on topics that are still relevant to this day. This vital institution needs to be revived, with a budget large enough and rules flexible enough to draw top talent away from the very lucrative private sector.

"Cutting the OTA over two decades ago to ‘save money’ was the dumbest decision ever, and it likely cost the American people hundreds of times the budget of the OTA based on less efficient and informed legislation. Having a group of technology experts on hand for Congress to consult with, free of industry influence, is common sense and overdue. Let’s try to get in front of the true challenges of the 21st century and get Congress the information they need to make intelligent decisions."

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/reviveota/

May 6, 2019

Farm Equipment Sales Drop In Early 2019 As Trade War's Effects Linger

The ongoing effects of the trade war, severe weather and low crop prices have farmers reluctant to make big purchases like tractors, combines and planters. It was apparent in the U.S. Commerce Department’s new report, which shows farm equipment sales were down $900 million dollars over the first three months of 2019.

That’s the biggest decline in sales since 2016.

Farmers will eventually have to replace aging machines, so University of Missouri agricultural economist Pat Westhoff sees it as a temporary situation. But while that old equipment — the kind that Westhoff says don’t have “all the new bells and whistles” — stays out in the fields, farmers will be less productive.

“(W)e don’t make the big advancements in the amount of acreage we can plant per hour and the amount of product we can harvest eventually from those fields,” he said.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/farm-equipment-sales-drop-early-2019-trade-war-s-effects-linger

May 6, 2019

Floodwaters Inundate Missouri And Illinois River Towns

Updated: 8:50 p.m. May 5 — with information about flood damage to an Illinois American Water plant.

Floodwaters have continued to rise over the weekend in areas along the Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois rivers.

In St. Louis, the Mississippi River had reached nearly 41 feet by 11:30 a.m. Sunday morning — more than 10 feet above flood stage. The National Weather Service predicts the river will crest at 41.6 feet Monday morning.

A portion of the Mississippi River near St. Louis remains closed to all boat and barge traffic due to flooding and fast-moving currents. The closure will be lifted “as soon as conditions improve,” the U.S. Coast Guard said in a press release.

In the Metro East, floodwaters breached a levee south of Chouteau Island, near Granite City, and damaged an Illinois American Water intake facility. To conserve water, the company has asked its customers to limit all non-essential use, including running sprinklers and washing machines.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/floodwaters-inundate-missouri-and-illinois-river-towns

May 6, 2019

Her Dental Woes Are Over, But A First-Generation Student Has Put College On Hold

Ngone Seck, a first-generation college student from Florissant who received a full scholarship to Washington University, is smiling bigger after getting her teeth fixed. But the long hours she spent working toward that goal have taken a toll.

After St. Louisans learned that her dental problems and heavy work schedule made college a struggle, dozens reached out to the Italian immigrant of West African heritage.

Some offered money; others free dental services. Seck took a Ladue dental clinic up on its offer of treatment and surgery, and completed the work this spring.

But after falling behind in her classes, Seck took a leave of absence from Wash U. Although she’s disappointed, Seck said she retains her full scholarship.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/her-dental-woes-are-over-first-generation-student-has-put-college-hold

May 6, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on 18 YEAR TERM LIMIT FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICES

Our country is facing a crisis in the judicial branch. Our Founding Fathers intended this third branch of government to be free of political pressures, interpreting and applying the Constitution to the laws passed by Congress in order to ensure that no violations were found.

Today, the Supreme Court is increasingly polarized around political lines, and the selection of a new Justice is a bitter fight that divides the country. The process has become increasingly contentious, and very few Americans believe that the Supreme Court is impartial.

The stats largely back up that they’re correct. The number of 5-4 decisions, reflecting the line between Republican-appointed and Democrat-appointed, has increased in recent years. When a new seat opens up, lifetime appointments incentivize finding the youngest, most partisan jurist who can gain confirmation in order to ensure a particular bent on the Court for as long as possible. Current Justices can expect to serve for 40 or more years. For historical context, the average Justice has served for 15 years, though Justices appointed since 1970 have served for an average of 26 years.

This isn’t the way it was envisioned at the founding of our country, when life expectancy was shorter and Justices would often retire or resign well ahead of their deaths. We need to return some level of sanity and balance to the Supreme Court.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/scotustermlimits/

May 6, 2019

Andrew Yang Policy on 18 YEAR TERM LIMIT FOR SUPREME COURT JUSTICES

Our country is facing a crisis in the judicial branch. Our Founding Fathers intended this third branch of government to be free of political pressures, interpreting and applying the Constitution to the laws passed by Congress in order to ensure that no violations were found.

Today, the Supreme Court is increasingly polarized around political lines, and the selection of a new Justice is a bitter fight that divides the country. The process has become increasingly contentious, and very few Americans believe that the Supreme Court is impartial.

The stats largely back up that they’re correct. The number of 5-4 decisions, reflecting the line between Republican-appointed and Democrat-appointed, has increased in recent years. When a new seat opens up, lifetime appointments incentivize finding the youngest, most partisan jurist who can gain confirmation in order to ensure a particular bent on the Court for as long as possible. Current Justices can expect to serve for 40 or more years. For historical context, the average Justice has served for 15 years, though Justices appointed since 1970 have served for an average of 26 years.

This isn’t the way it was envisioned at the founding of our country, when life expectancy was shorter and Justices would often retire or resign well ahead of their deaths. We need to return some level of sanity and balance to the Supreme Court.

https://www.yang2020.com/policies/scotustermlimits/

May 6, 2019

50-year library employees consider coworkers family

Frances Bush and Idenia Thornton each took a chance and filled out an application.

Five decades later, they’re still working at the Daniel Boone Regional Library with employees they consider their family.

Bush, 69, started her job on June 1, 1968. Thornton, 74, started in January 1969. Library director Gene Martin hired them when the library was located at Seventh Street and Broadway.

Bush had participated in a program that allowed her to work in the library part-time while she was in high school, and Martin liked her work so much, he hired her when she graduated.

https://www.columbiatribune.com/news/20190504/50-year-library-employees-consider-coworkers-family